York — Before launching into an attack against his Republican rivals, Vice President Joe Biden gave a shout-out to the Bulldogs.

“Folks, before we start, I want to know where the state champion baseball team is,” Biden said, just after taking the podium inside West York Area High School’s gym Sunday. “What a great, great, honor — I tell you what.”

After that, Biden — who was appearing in York County as part of a campaign stop ahead of the Democratic National Convention this week — gave a 20-minute speech, in which he said that Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney “implied ... that he’s ready to go to war in Syria and Iran.”

And he argued that Romney and GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan would hurt the middle class, wanted to turn Medicare into a voucher system, and were pushing polices that led to the global financial crisis several years ago.

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“Folks, this is not your father’s Republican Party,” said Biden, who later increased that criticism by paraphrasing a line from former President Bill Clinton. “These guys are Bush on steroids.”

The line about former President George W. Bush received a friendly reception from the crowd of about 1,400, as did the rest of his speech. “We love you, Joe,” someone shouted early on.

“GM is alive!” someone shouted at one point, referring to General Motors.

“We believe in you,” someone called out at another point.

The crowd also booed remarks attributed to Ryan that Biden repeated.

“I don’t need you booing, I need you voting,” Biden replied.

Supporters lined up at West York Area High School Sunday morning, waiting to get into the event featuring President Obama’s running mate. It was Biden’s second visit to the county in less than a year.

York resident Beth E. Smith said she thinks Biden is “awesome.”

“I think Joe Biden is the perfect example of an American who smiles and can have a sense of levity,” she said. “...But he is serious-minded; he’s very smart, and he’s not afraid to say what he means.”

Inside the gym Sunday morning, West York Area High School students played “America the Beautiful,” “Let The Good Times Roll,” “Poker Face” and other songs as the crowd came in. A sign in the gym read “Biden Rocks.”

Several York County figures had roles in the event. York Mayor Kim Bracey spoke, as did state Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-West Manchester Township. James Speed, a former Marine who served two deployments overseas during Operation Iraqi Freedom, led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Shortly before noon, retired teacher and campaign volunteer Lois Garnett took the stage to introduce Biden, calling him a “champion of the middle class.” She praised the Democratic ticket.

“I’m committed to doing everything I can to keep our country moving forward,” she said.

Then Biden took the stage, not wearing a tie. When he praised the Bulldogs, the vice president talked

about how he “got in trouble awhile ago” for remarks he made when visiting a preseason football practice in Virginia.

“I said, ‘I’d trade the job to be back playing ball again,’” Biden said, adding that the media acted like he was serious. “But ... I might trade it for a state championship.”

Those lines drew laughs and applause.

During the speech, Biden praised the Obama administration’s record in office, and he promoted the recovery of the auto industry, saying that all of General Motors’ plants would have closed without the autoworkers’ sacrifice and the administration’s intervention.

“GM would not have been reorganized. It would have been liquidated, along with Chrysler,” Biden said. “Without that reorganization, Ford would have been devastated, as well ... because the supply chain would have evaporated.”

He said the Republican ticket would implement “massive” and “draconian” cuts to Medicaid, education and other areas, and would “put insurance companies back in charge of your health care ... allowing them to cut off your coverage when you get sick or when you hit ... (what) they call your limit.” He referred to Republican proposals as “eviscerating the middle class.”

The bulk of Biden’s speech was dedicated to defending the administration’s record and criticizing his Republican rivals. But he ended on a positive note.

“We have to continue to move forward. ...There’s not a single doubt in my mind that we’re on the way to rebuilding this country stronger than it was before,” Biden said.

Biden’s appearance came as Republicans have been trying to paint the vice president as a liability to the ticket.

Elijah Rhodes, who traveled from Reading for the speech, didn’t buy that.

“Absolutely not,” said the 67-year-old Rhodes, adding that Biden brought a lengthy and impressive record in the Senate to the White House “that helped to bring America back to its greatness. It was practically destroyed under Bush.”

Plus, Rhodes said, he likes Biden’s speaking style.

“He’s a straight shooter. He doesn’t tell you what you want to hear,” said Rhodes, a retired managing partner for a construction company. “He tells you the truth. It’s up to you what you want to do with it.”